


Spiders Care

by 100percentfluffster



Series: Spiders Care [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Tony Stark, Buckle up, Captain America Bashing, Chaptered, Civil War Team Iron Man, Everything changes after the airport fight, M/M, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark Friendship, No one dies from Thanos, Peter and Harley sons, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Natasha Romanov, Protective Stephen Strange, Sokovia Accords, Steve Rogers Sucks, Tony and Nat are bros for life, Wanda Bashing, at least not permanently, it's a helluva ride, tony stark deserved better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-24 06:29:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20903150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/100percentfluffster/pseuds/100percentfluffster
Summary: One week after Siberia, Tony woke up.It took a month of recuperation and therapy before Tony threw himself into the politics to help with the Accords.It took six months for Tony to request a meeting with the Winter Soldier.It took a year for Tony to open up the roster for the Avengers.It took one year and three months for the Revengers to seemingly drop out of the sky and at their feet. It took one conversation for Tony to start readying the world for the coming of Thanos.Two years and three days after Siberia… Thanos came to Earth.It was two years and five days after Siberia when Tony slipped into a second coma, his mind overtaxed and nearly destroyed.Two years, seven months and five days after Siberia the Rogues return to the Compound.ORA story where Natasha stayed and Tony saved the day, but the aftermath of Thanos and the Accords is waiting for them all.





	Spiders Care

Natasha didn’t run. She stayed and trusted in Stark and the Accords. She worked to prove herself, not as an operant or asset, but as a human being. 

She’d done a lot of learning and growing these past couple years. She had never been the poster child of healthy relationships and she knew it. She recognized and accepted the fact that she’d mistreated Tony in the past, the whole team had, but she hadn’t fully understood  _ how _ . She relied pretty heavily on Clint for such things, but he hadn’t been the same since Ultron. And by that point, the team habits were too heavily ingrained for her to see through. 

So she’d accepted (not that she had much of a choice) the therapy sessions Pepper offered. The sessions were with an older woman, a friend of Xavier’s, that had no telepathic abilities but could sense general emotions. She could calm emotions as well, nothing serious, just enough to take the edge off of discomfort or help with a panic attack. 

Natasha learned about healthy relationships. What manipulation truly meant, what consent meant on a day to day basis, what trust entailed, and how to properly communicate. It had been eye-opening and soul-crushing at the same time. She was a smart woman, she was a black widow, and had skills most people couldn’t even begin to hope for. But she found out just how blind she really was. She could spot a tell in moments and could make a man do anything she wanted, but she’d never had any experience (beyond Clint) about what friendship meant. 

After a while, the therapy sessions changed to include both her and Tony. They talked things through, often painfully and slowly, and Rhodey was always there to make sure Tony didn’t get steamrolled, but they made progress. She apologized for the way she’d treated him, but more importantly, together they identified all the things that had gone wrong. She hated every moment of it, but now, little over a year later, she couldn’t be more thankful for the time they’d spent hashing it all out. 

She was part of a genuine family now. One that was full of people that respected each other and didn’t make demands. A group that always had each other’s backs and listened when she talked. She would die for Tony in a heartbeat. She would kill and torture for him, partly because she knew he’d never ask. Natasha was lucky and she damn well knew it. She’d let Tony down time and time again in the past, and she was lucky that he gave her a final chance. 

Things were different now and for the better. The Accords were in full swing and everyone knew what their job was. The Avengers Initiative was organized and effective and watched over. She trained agents, operatives, and heroes. She had a say in how things went, more so than she’d ever had before, and she got to make her own decisions. It was more than she’d ever thought she would have. 

She had stayed to prove that she was worth it. 

She succeeded. 

But she almost didn’t even get the chance, because Tony came back broken from Siberia. But Natasha watched as Tony got up, once again, after being thrown to the ground and betrayed. She watched as he moved on from Siberia, though never forgetting it. She watched and she helped. She learned and she loved. 

  
  
  


One week after Siberia, Tony woke up. Natasha ached as she watched him struggle to move or speak through his shattered chest and spirit. 

Two weeks after Siberia she and Pepper managed to convince him that his doctor was right. The new arc reactor was installed the next day. A light and flexible vibranium alloy reinforced his ribcage and sternum while the reactor gave his heart the energy it needed to keep beating. The first thing he said when he woke up from surgery was that the taste of coconut and metal was back. Natasha could easily see that the pain of breathing and moving with a metal core in his chest was back as well, though he never complained. She was vindictively glad to see that the red white and blue shield in his workroom was gone. 

It took a month of recuperation and therapy before Tony threw himself into the politics to help with the Accords, and Natasha was there with him. She, Tony, and T’Challa became the public face and driving force behind the United Nations and the efforts to bring accountability to the enhanced of the world. 

It was two months before some hacker managed to get and release the footage from the Hydra bunker in Siberia. It took two hours after that for the media to coin Team Iron Man and Team Cap. It took three hours for Tony to calm down after watching Rogers bring the shield down on his chest over and over again through the grainy footage online. It took one day for the public to demand justice for Tony Stark. Natasha watched with a smile.

It took three months before Tony made his first public appearance after Siberia. Rhodey walked onto the stage with him with the leg braces Tony had perfected the night before. They were met with cheers and tears. SI stock soared and the public outrage over the Civil War hit a new high. Every social media outlet was flooded with support for Iron Man and War Machine. Pictures of Tony Stark standing on stage, with one hand on the shoulder of his friend and the other hovering protectively over his own chest, were trending within minutes. Natasha watched with a smile. 

It took six months for Tony to request a meeting with the Winter Soldier. T’Challa immediately approved the idea and Stark flew out to Wakanda with Natasha. It took five minutes of painfully slow conversation with James Buchanan Barnes for the two of them to understand just how fucked the Sergeant was mentally. The man could barely string together a full sentence and had no stable memory of the months after shaking free of Hydra’s control or even the fight in Siberia. The Winter Soldier went back with them to New York.  _ It only seems...fair, you know? I’ll go wit’ ya’, Mr. Stark… you do with me what you will. Help me, kill me… you have the right… to decide.  _ Steve Rogers’ opinion was never asked.

It was eight months after Siberia before Shuri and Tony Stark figured out a way to remove the triggers from Barnes’ mind using BARF and Wakandan beads, and another three after that for the process to work. Natasha watched Shuri and Tony find kindred spirits in each other. She also watched Tony take in another Russian assassin with no hesitation. The sight left her lighter and happier. 

It took a year for Tony to open up the roster for the Avengers. It took no time at all for the man to be completely overrun with applicants. Natasha helped Tony sort through applications and prepare for the coming storm. The Compound was opened and redesigned to train and protect those who signed the Accords and decided to stay and fight for the protection of humanity. 

It took one year and three months for the Revengers to seemingly drop out of the sky and at their feet. It took one conversation for Tony to start readying the world for the coming of Thanos. It took one trial for Loki to be cleared of responsibility for the attack on New York and enstated as an Avenger consultant. It took one phone call from Thor to bring in a new name and face, a Doctor Stephen Strange. Natasha watched Tony and Stephen share one caustic and prying conversation where they both fell ridiculously in love. She cornered the wizard not much later to both threaten, warn, and welcome him to the family. 

It took one year, eight months and two weeks after Siberia before Tony accepted his obvious infatuation with Peter Parker and named the teen his godson and heir. Two days after that Tony added Harley to that contract. Natasha vowed to teach the two children everything she knew so they would never be taken advantage of. 

Two years and three days after Siberia… Thanos came to Earth.

It took just a couple of moments for Tony and her to watch Strange dissipate into dust after giving up the time stone for him. She watched Tony’s godson break apart in his arms. She heard Loki’s cursing as the god was carried away by the wind on Titan. Watched Peter Quill’s stunned expression fall away into nothing. She watched her family break apart, literally. 

When they reached Earth, courtesy of Nebula, it took roughly seven minutes for Shuri to call them in a panic, T’Challa was gone. Natasha and Tony found out three minutes later that their home had been raided and Vision was dead. That Bucky had died trying to protect him and that Happy was taken by the dust. 

It took thirty-six hours, two years and four and a half days after Siberia, for Tony Stark, Shuri, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, Rocket, Nebula and Thor to kill Thanos. It took infinity packed into four minutes for Tony to wield the damaged gauntlet and bring back those who Thanos had snapped into nonexistence or killed. 

It was two years and five days after Siberia when Tony slipped into a second coma, his mind overtaxed and nearly destroyed. Natasha stood at his bedside with the rest of their family and wept for the first time in a decade. 

It took two years and six days for the Accords to be fully instigated and made United Nations law. 

It was two years four months and seventeen days after Siberia when Tony woke up from a coma for the second time, surrounded by his friends and family, not a speck of dust in view. Natasha smiled as Strange kissed Tony. She smiled as Pepper leaned into her side with a sigh of deep relief. She smiled as Peter and Harley basically climbed into the bed with their pseudo-father. She smiled as Rhodey and Vision and Bucky brought Tony illicit coffee and blueberries. She smiled when Nebula and Thor and Loki and Wong and Carol and Hope and everyone who could possibly fit into the small hospital room crowded around Tony and they all took a deep breath together. They’d done it. 

  
  
  
  


Two years, seven months and three days after Siberia…

Natasha smiled as she sipped at her cup of coffee and watched the scene in front of her. She was perched on top of the refrigerator beside Tony, trying to drop pieces of lint into his coffee without his notice. She set herself more firmly in place and wondered why Clint liked to sit up here. Or rather why he used to. She sighed and turned her thoughts away from her estranged partner. She looked around at the family she had here. The one she’d fought for and earned. 

To the side she found Bucky and Vision to be deep in conversation. The small kitchen table they were sat at was covered in classic literature books and a few other texts from their classes at community college. The Winter Soldier and the Vision had taken a couple of joint English/lit classes together and they were always eyeball deep in some new story or debate these days. Vision had an advantage as he didn’t have to physically read the books, already knowing every word thanks to his programming, but the android loved the analysis of the works. Bucky, on the other hand, was constantly scribbling down every thought he had in the margins of his books and peppering Vision with questions about things he didn’t understand. It was both heartbreakingly adorable and incredibly annoying when they talked about shit she didn’t understand for hours on end. 

Peter was currently stuck to the ceiling and glaring at his phone. If she had to guess she’d say that Peter and Ned were having another argument about what they were going to do for their science fair projects. The kid could also be playing angry birds for all she knew. A calculus book and corresponding homework were left abandoned on the coffee table in front of the tv. 

Harley wasn’t in the room, but she knew the kid was downstairs in the workshop. Tony had expanded the area so that both Harley and Peter had their own workspaces. Peter enjoyed the space, but Harley was a kid after Tony’s own heart and lived to tinker down there. Natasha made a mental note to get Tony to look into what Harley was working on, they really didn’t need another exploding coffee machine disaster, or heaven forbid the automatic potato cannon chaos.

Pepper and Rhodey were discussing Stark Industries business on the couch and they looked relaxed for the first time in years. Natasha smiled wider as she looked at Pepper and the quiet calm the woman brought with her everywhere, but here and now it was softened around the edges with affection and reassurance. It was a good look on her. 

Banner was asleep in his favorite armchair off to the side and snoring quietly. He looked tired but at peace and that’s something she could relate to. Banner, more than the others, knew just what the former team had been. What Natasha herself had been like. He’d been more than relieved to return to find that toxicity gone and replaced with something far more real. It was something she took great pride in. 

Thor and Loki were gone, probably getting into mischief together, but frankly, she trusted them to keep each other out of too much trouble. Or for Valkyrie to swoop in and beat some sense into the two of them. The Asgardians just enjoyed learning about Midgard, and making fun of Midgard, and mocking the problems of Midgardians. She shook her head in fond irritation at the two brothers and hoped she wouldn’t need to step in and stop one of them from stabbing the other. Again. They’d been going strong, three weeks since the last stabbing. There was a cheery sign on the refrigerator and everything. 

Tony turned with an expectant grin and Natasha did as well when she heard the first pops and crackles of a portal appearing. A moment later Strange stepped through with his own small smile. Natasha snorted and mumbled, knowing that neither of them would hear her or care, “Sap.” 

“Hey, stranger,” Tony greeted, pulling the sorcerer into a harsh hug the moment the other man was within reach. 

“You know you can make as many strange jokes as you want, but they’ll never be funny,” Stephen responded. He ducked down slightly to press a quick kiss to Tony’s lips before he added, “Besides, Peter will always beat you in the pun related humor, my dear.” 

Tony looked affronted and with an eye roll replied, “Oh please, I was sassing men before Peter was born, and the kid may have the best role model in the world for it, but he’ll never surpass the master.” 

Natasha giggled as Peter dropped down from the ceiling above them with comfortable ease, startling both men with his sudden appearance. “Hey Tots, what’s for dinner? Also, I don’t understand my last calc problem, because I hate infinite limits and-- did you know that Ned thinks we should build a miniature Death Star for the fair? I mean how would we even do that? And even if it was tiny, how powerful would it actually be? I feel like that’s a slippery slope and--” 

“Alright, Underoo, calm down,” Tony said with a noticeable blush to his features. Natasha found it adorable the way Peter’s fatherly nicknames always, without fail, made Tony blush and stutter over his words. 

The first time Peter had tried to call Tony Pops, but the genius had run into a wall and dropped his StarkPad down twenty-seven flights of stairs. After that Peter tried Dad and Papa but had similar results. Finally, the kid had settled on Tots, a strange mix of Pops and Tony and somehow the billionaire found this more bearable. Natasha just found the whole thing hilarious.

Tony avoided having to say anything to the kid by turning to Stephen and saying, “Your turn tonight, Judo.” 

Stephen cringed and said, “Oh, right. I forgot about that.” 

“It’s every Thursday, Dr. Strange! How can you forget it’s your night for dinner, every week?” Peter exclaimed. 

“And to think he’s the one protecting our reality, amiright, kid?” Tony teased with a conciliatory wink in Peter’s direction. Peter giggled in response and the sound made her heart of steel melt. Just as it always did. 

“Take out it is then,” Stephen mumbled.

“Why don’t you go ask Viz and Bambi what they want tonight, huh? They’re the ones with an essay test in the morning.” Tony pointed over at the table where Bucky was getting more and more passionate about whatever the two were talking about, and Vision was getting more and more amused. 

Peter had just made it to the edge of the table when Tony’s phone chimed obnoxiously. Something that only ever happened when FRIDAY deemed it important. Highly so. Natasha’s body went stiff with worry. A moment later FRIDAY spoke, “The King of Wakanda on the phone for you, boss. He seems to be rather worked up.” 

Tony dug his phone out of his pocket before placing it on the counter in front of him. A couple of seconds later the phone projected the screen of the video call into the air before them. Tony grinned at the King and said casually, “What’s got you fretting, KitKat?” 

“Tony, Stephen,” T’Challa greeted them more somberly. “I am sorry.” 

Stephen and Tony stiffened in unison, Natasha would have too if she wasn’t already on edge, but it was the sorcerer that immediately prodded, “For what?” 

“The Council has pardoned the Rogues.” 

Tony reeled and had to place a shaking hand on the counter before he lost his balance entirely. Natasha could see the way his eyes went slightly out of focus and she cursed softly in Russian. 

“What? No, I thought the-- I mean I knew there was talk about it, but-- I mean it’s been months since the fight, I thought-- T’Challa they can’t do that!” Tony’s words were frantic and rapid. The rest of the room had noticed the change in the atmosphere and were starting to close in on the phone call. 

“The Council decided that because the Rogues fought in the Infinity War, that they deserved the chance to sign.”

“They didn’t do shit in the war!” Rhodey protested. 

“Truth holds no sway here, Colonel,” T’Challa said sadly, though it was obvious he agreed with the other man. The Rogues had helped fight the early invasions of Thanos’ children, but they did little else. They didn't help kill Thanos. They never wielded a stone like Loki or Strange or Vision. And Tony was the one to bring everyone back. “I’m not sorry to see them finally leave my country but I do regret that Wakanda’s gain comes at your pain, Dr. Stark.” 

“So what, they just signed the Accords and now they get to skip back into the Compound as if nothing happened?” Stephen demanded. 

“I don’t have many more details at this time, I am sorry. Wakanda has just gotten notice that the Rogues will be returning to America and--” 

Another call flashed across T’Challa’s image and Tony immediately cut in, “I’m sorry, KitKat, but looks like Ross is calling me.” 

T’Challa nodded and looked slightly relieved. “Good, he should have more to tell you, and again I am sorry, Dr. Stark.” 

“It’s Tony, T’Challa. You got it right the first time, no need to fall back on old habits.” That got a small grin out of T’Challa before the king bid them farewell. 

Everett Ross’ face popped up as soon as T’Challa disappeared. Natasha slowly lowered herself down to the ground and moved to stand beside Tony. “Ah, Stark, I have some news for you,” the man said. He looked like he’d just swallowed something particularly disgusting. 

“The Rogues are returning, I heard,” Tony replied in a monotone. His facial expression was completely blank, and Natasha hated it. She hadn’t seen him shut down like that in months.

Everett sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, “I assume T’Challa told you then?” Ross belatedly noticed the small crowd around the hologram and he gave them an exhausted wry grin. “Well, at least I won’t have to make more than one call. The short story is that yes, the Rogues are returning. They will all be under a probationary period and of course, Steve Rogers will have no command power.” 

“You know they’re going to come in here and expect Tony to give them everything!” Pepper exclaimed, her face was turning slightly red with the anger she was doing a poor job of containing. Natasha itched to move to Pepper’s side and calm her down but knew the other redhead wouldn’t appreciate it. 

“I am aware, Miss Potts. I have come into contact with your old teammates quite often during my business with T’Challa and Shuri. They are… demanding to say the least. Wakanda most certainly won’t miss them. 

“However, the Council has made sure that Tony will not be held responsible for anything of the Rogues’. Just like the rest of the Avengers and Defenders and Guardians and Revengers… god, you guys need to come up with more different names… anyways, Stark is not obligated to supply them with anything more than time and space at the Compound for training.” 

“Stark Industries won’t be footing the bill for their equipment either. SI has completely separated itself from the Avengers Initiative,” Pepper added. 

“Of course. The Council is letting them come back because they’re scared. After Thanos, everyone’s just waiting and fearing the next alien army. They figured having as many superpowered bodies in the field as possible was the best step.” 

“They’re liabilities,” Rhodey said. 

“I don’t disagree.”

Natasha’s awareness narrowed down to Tony, who was breathing heavily and looked haunted. Her fingers twitched at her side, willing to stab or shoot whatever or  _ whoever _ she needed to make that look go away. That wasn’t an option though. Not this time at least. 

Her eyes scanned the small group looking for one particular face and found Bucky already moving toward them. The Sergeant’s face was hard and concerned and his eyes were glued to Tony. A cool metal arm slipped around Tony’s waist and both Natasha and Stephen pulled back to give Barnes more room to maneuver. Barnes began easing Tony away from the group and out of the room, and she wasn’t sure Tony had even realized. He was just staring blankly ahead of them. She wanted nothing more than to follow and make sure he was okay, but she had to stay and get the full picture of the situation. 

As soon as the two men had made their way out of the area, and assumedly towards one of their rooms, Natasha tuned back into the conversation going on around her. The talk had deteriorated into everyone talking amongst each other in outrage as Everett watched in resignation. Natasha cleared her throat and asked over the others, eyes on Ross, “Why weren’t we made aware of this earlier? There must have been meetings and hearings leading up to this, we should have been in attendance.” 

The others stopped talking and turned to watch Ross for the answer. They all knew that if they’d been present, not a single person would have supported the Rogues’ return. Except for maybe Tony, who would sanction the idea out of some misplaced guilt. 

“Frankly, I have no idea. I’m a liaison, not a Council member, so I’m not present for everything. I work most closely with Wakanda and Sokovia. This isn’t a decision that was made by the Council anyway, not entirely at least. The United Nations had to contact each individual country that the Rogues tore through and have them drop the charges for the crimes done on their soil. Under the expectation of the superheroes following the Accords of course.” 

“That doesn’t explain why we weren’t notified!” Stephen insisted. “The whole point of this mess was to open up communication between everyone, not this.” 

“You’re missing the point, Dr. Strange.” 

“Enlighten me then, Ross. How the fuck did this happen?” 

“It wasn’t the Council that made this decision. Need I remind you that the Council is made up of rotating representatives of 147 different countries? Instead, the countries involved with Rogers’ quest to save Sergeant Barnes decided to drop their charges. I suspect that there’s a fan of the former Captain’s team somewhere high up in the United Nations chain of command. Someone, or more likely some group of people, decided to go to bat for them. In the past couple of months Germany, Sokovia, Nigeria, and America have been persuaded to drop their charges. Which means… legally there is no reason that they can’t apply to the Avengers Initiative once again. That’s where the Council comes in. Rogers and his group willingly signed the Accords and the Council has decided to give them a chance. Fear of what could be coming is a driving force, I’m afraid, and the rest of the old Avengers team is highly skilled.”

“This is ridiculous,” Rhodey muttered. “Rogers and his band of misfits ended up killing 23 people in Bucharest from the tunnel collapse. Four of the German task force were hospitalized and only one of them made a full recovery. Pym Technologies had to pay millions and millions of dollars to Germany for the airport disaster. Not to mention the bomb in Lagos and the collateral damage that seems to follow the Captain around.” 

“After Thanos, and half the universe being obliterated at the snap of his fingers, such consequences may seem… inconsequential,” Vision said calmly. “I can see why people would want them returned. What is the expression… we must pick the lesser of two evils. Make ourselves seem vulnerable to outside attack by refusing the help of well known powerful allies, or deal with the troubles that Rogers’ return will bring. We are between a rock and a hard place. A catch 22. A dilemma of--” 

“Yes, thank you, Vision. We get the picture,” Rhodey interrupted before the android could continue listing macabre idioms.

“So, basically,” Peter started. “Basically Mr. Stark and Dr. Strange and Thor and Nat and Nebula and Rocket and….am I missing anyone else?... Anyways, they stopped Thanos, without Captain America’s immediate help, and now he’s being brought back because people are scared about another Thanos? Seems counterintuitive to me.”

“Iron Man almost died,” Banner said, making his first foray into the conversation. “I mean he went into a coma for like three months after using the Infinity Gauntlet.” 

“Earth’s Best Defender was gone,” Vision added. 

“Yeah. Maybe that’s what this is about. Tony is exactly what we need right now, but… there have been a lot of close calls for Iron Man recently.” Natasha silently screamed because of course. She should have seen it coming. The people weren’t scared of Thanos or Captain America, they were scared of losing Stark. 

“So we have to deal with Captain Asshole because he nearly killed Tony in Siberia, and because Tony continues to try and sacrifice his own life for the greater good,” Rhodey surmised. 

“I don’t care!” Pepper shouted. “Tony deserves better than this. He saved half the universe, can’t we just let him be in peace!” The red-headed CEO was very near angered tears and Natasha finally gave into her desires and pulled the other woman into her side to both comfort and prevent Pepper from lashing out at something and hurting herself. 

“Look, the Council didn’t do this to try and screw over Tony. Everyone is fully aware of just how much Tony did to make sure the Accords went through. The representatives are just trying to make the best decision given the situation,” Ross said. “Earth is just as vulnerable as it is strong.” 

“Rogers won’t help, he’ll just bring more arrogance induced problems,” Stephen interjected. 

“No one said it’ll work. You just have to try.” 

“When are they coming?” Banner asked. 

“Two days.” 

“Shit.” 

  
  
  


Natasha wasn’t supposed to be there, but she couldn’t help herself. Or she could have, but she didn’t particularly try. Clint was coming to the Compound and she’d be damned if she wasn’t there to see it happen. Besides, she needed to see the others. Needed to see if they regretted what they did to Tony. 

So yeah, she had to be there for the return of the people who’d nearly brought everything down around her in flames. She had to look into their eyes and see what they thought of themselves. She had to see Clint, the one person missing from her family now. She had to look at him and figure out what the hell he’d thought he’d been doing. 

She didn’t understand his decisions. They were impulsive and angry and… she didn’t get it. Clint was a patient guy and he could have quite the temper, but he never allowed that to rule him. The two of them were high caliber agents after all, one couldn’t allow emotions full reign at that level of their profession. He’d left behind his family at a simple phone call, against all his previous actions. Laura and the kids were the most important thing to Clint. At least, they had been. 

Now, Clint was coming, and she’d find her answers, whether she liked them or not. 

The welcome group was supposed to be made up of one member of each hero team. Colonel Rhodes was there in name of the Avengers along with Carol Danvers. Jessica Jones represented the Defenders. Brunnhilde, the Valkyrie, showed up for the Revengers. Dr. Stephen Strange came to represent the Sanctum and had to talk Wong out of coming as well. The Guardians weren’t anywhere close to Earth and Xavier hadn’t been able to make it on such short notice. She guessed there were the Fantastic Four, but no one ever knew where or what they were doing. 

Still, even with a couple of people missing, they made an intimidating sight. 

The first person from the old team she’d managed to spot was the Cap himself, and it only took one glance for Natasha to understand that Steve and the others didn’t fully understand what they were standing up against. Steve had that determined scowl on his face and his feet were planted wide apart as if to brace for a physical attack. 

She stepped closer and saw the rest of her old team. Clint was stone-faced where he stood next to Wanda. Wanda herself was scowling openly and searching the large room they were in, and Natasha figured she must be waiting for Stark to show. Sam was listening intently to Stephen as he talked and the felon she’d barely met, Scott Lang, was hiding behind Sam with wide eyes. 

She stayed back in order to keep out of sight, she was just here to observe. 

“Fine,” Steve sighed as if he’d just granted Stephen a great favor. “If this is how Tony wants to play it, then fine. So the Compound is no longer our home, something he had no right to do, where are we staying now? Are we going back to the Tower?” 

Natasha watched Jessica’s fists tighten up in frustration and Brunnhilde’s expression had finally broken from boredom into amused malevolence. Rhodey was just shaking his head and looking pained, as he was the only one who was used to working with the Rogues. Natasha couldn’t read Carol behind that strict military stance but knew the woman hated freeloaders. Stephen just looked… well, carefully enraged. The man knew he couldn’t lash out and he’d known what he was walking into, thanks to Tony, but she got the feeling the sorcerer was barely containing himself. 

“Dr. Stark would have had every right to do so, as he owns the building,” Major Danvers said. She held up a hand when Steve went to interrupt her. “Eighteen months ago he did at least. Dr. Stark sold the Compound to the UN, this building is currently held similarly to an embassy. It is not a home or an apartment building. It is a politically removed and safe place for training and meetings and equipment design. It’s for the Avengers as a whole, as well as the other members of the Defenders, the Revengers, the Guardians, and any of Xavier’s students. Outside individuals are also allowed to put in a request for training time or whatever they want, though they must be screened thoroughly.” She paused to catch her breath and look over the small group of ‘heroes’ in front of her. “So, Dr. Stark had nothing to do with this. If you would like someone to air your complaints to, that is not me or anyone present in this room. Desist in your accusations and let us continue with the explanations.” 

“Where the hell is Stark sticking us then?” Clint burst out. 

Rhodey looked ready to snark back where Clint could stick his question when Stephen cut him off, “It’s funny how you think Dr. Stark cares.” Natasha’s eyebrow went up in surprise at the tone of the sorcerer. It was harsh and threatening but more importantly mocking. She knew Steve wouldn’t respond well to that. 

“What the hell does that mean?” Steve responded. 

“It means, that Dr. Stark hasn’t made any move to take responsibility for you, and he doesn’t have to. You’re all grown adults, despite the way you’re currently behaving.” Natasha smirked in the shadows at that.

“Look, I need to talk to Tony, and I can get this all sorted out,” Steve replied with a world-weary sigh. 

“Of course,” Carol said easily. “You can speak to him at your earliest convenience. But, for now, you’re here to listen to us.” 

“I don’t understand how you can all be standing here and demanding Stark house you when we explicitly told you all the ways things had changed. We sent you all the information!” Rhodey exclaimed. “I know they taught you how to read back in the forties, Captain, so you have no excuse for not knowing how this works. You’re all responsible for your own housing. You’ll be getting a salary from the Council as well as bonuses for each successful mission. So grow up and stop looking for everyone else to cover your asses.” 

“Rhodey, you don’t under--” 

“Colonel Rhodes to you Rogers. Some of us actually earned our titles and you will respect that, or you will find yourself out on your ass once again at the mercy of T’Challa and a public who doesn’t particularly like you.” 

Natasha tuned out the rest of the argument and focused on Clint. He was standing at alert, but his eyes weren’t scanning the area like she was so used to seeing. The way any spy, especially herself and Barton, were trained to do from the beginning. It was disconcerting to see the absence of his normal vigilance. 

The archer was standing next to, but also just slightly behind, Wanda, hovering there like he was her guard. His eyes were constantly flicking over to check on the witch with obvious concern and dedication. It reminded her of the way he used to look at her at the very beginning of her career with SHIELD. The way he was always on the lookout for any unpleasant triggers for her and doing his best to help her adjust. It broke her heart a little to see that expression again, it was one she’d tried hard to erase from him. 

Wanda was vibrating with transparent tension and fury. Her eyes had the slightest sheen of red to them, light enough that Natasha could only see it because she knew to look for it. The witch was fidgeting in place and looked like she was holding herself back from stepping up next to Steve and waging war on the soldier’s behalf. Natasha didn’t care about Steve or Wanda though. No, she’d been in enough therapy sessions to understand the toxicity of those two. Tony and her had spent many a night comparing stories together and realizing just how much their old team had been made up of lies and agendas. 

No, she cared about Clint though. And there was something obviously wrong with the archer in front of her. He looked thinner than he should be and there were more wrinkles around his mouth than there used to be. He looked strained and empty at the same time. 

Natasha bit her lip and resisted the urge to stalk forward and whisk the man away. Instead, she slunk back through the shadows and into the Compound, leaving the rest of the ‘welcome’ to the others. She had plans to see to. 

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to do my own take on the Rogues coming back and dealing with the Accords aftermath and all that. This work is heavily inspired by Wix and all the other wonderful authors in the Pro-Tony and Team Iron Man tags. I love the ideas of the Accords and all the things we've done with them in this fandom. So this is my turn in the sandbox, I had a lot of ideas I wanted to try.   
And, really, they did my girl Nat real dirty, she deserved better. So here's some actual character development for her.   
Hope you enjoy.


End file.
